Jabez Lohas aka 東雅小廚 (Dong Ya Xiao Chu) - Dude Grade: A
7-1, Section 3 Jinan Road, Taipei, Taiwan
Phone: +886 2 2773 6799
Our friends took us out to this fantastic place in Taipei. I didn't know what to expect as the wife mentioned it was an organic joint. What we came to find out is they use very high quality ingredients and cook them very well. One of the best meals so far on the trip.
Our Menu
Mountain Chicken **
Mountain chicken is what it sounds like - chicken that roams around on a mountain. The flavor is intensely chickeny, but you also get some texture to it as it's not buttery soft - this is a good thing. Killer with the soy, chile dipping sauce.
Cabbage and Dried Shrimp *
Sweet cabbage with the salty, meaty flavor of the dried shrimp.
Fried Rice with Veggies *
Unlike the fried rice you get in the states, this fantastic version is not oily and doused in soy sauce. Simply, a little bit of oil tossed with some veggies. Very clean tasting which allows you to enjoy the other dishes without overpowering them.
Bean Sprouts, Tofu, and Fermented Veggies **
Great combo of textures and flavors - very crunchy, a little spicy, and a little sour. A pretty amazing bright dish.
Fried Tofu Skin ***
A big time WTF moment here. So, light and crispy and airy on the inside. The flavor is very intensely tofu and goes perfect with the slightly sweet and salty dipping sauce. Biting into this thing was a big time eye opener for me on how tofu can be done.
Fried Ice Fish *
Fried whole crispy fish. It was good - kinda reminded of fish jerky but with better more natural tasting flavors.
Chicken Soup ***
I love me some soup and this was by far the best I've ever had. So rich tasting and incredibly creamy (no milk/cream added though) - felt like 30 chickens gave their lives to this thick broth. Ham, shark fin, and abalone were thrown in for good measure too which made this soup very complex - rich, slightly sweet from the white cabbage, and incredibly delicious.
Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way
Overall Restaurant Experience Mountain chicken is what it sounds like - chicken that roams around on a mountain. The flavor is intensely chickeny, but you also get some texture to it as it's not buttery soft - this is a good thing. Killer with the soy, chile dipping sauce.
Cabbage and Dried Shrimp *
Sweet cabbage with the salty, meaty flavor of the dried shrimp.
Fried Rice with Veggies *
Unlike the fried rice you get in the states, this fantastic version is not oily and doused in soy sauce. Simply, a little bit of oil tossed with some veggies. Very clean tasting which allows you to enjoy the other dishes without overpowering them.
Bean Sprouts, Tofu, and Fermented Veggies **
Great combo of textures and flavors - very crunchy, a little spicy, and a little sour. A pretty amazing bright dish.
Fried Tofu Skin ***
A big time WTF moment here. So, light and crispy and airy on the inside. The flavor is very intensely tofu and goes perfect with the slightly sweet and salty dipping sauce. Biting into this thing was a big time eye opener for me on how tofu can be done.
Fried Ice Fish *
Fried whole crispy fish. It was good - kinda reminded of fish jerky but with better more natural tasting flavors.
Chicken Soup ***
I love me some soup and this was by far the best I've ever had. So rich tasting and incredibly creamy (no milk/cream added though) - felt like 30 chickens gave their lives to this thick broth. Ham, shark fin, and abalone were thrown in for good measure too which made this soup very complex - rich, slightly sweet from the white cabbage, and incredibly delicious.
Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way
- Food (A) – Uber comforting food using great ingredients and cooked incredibly well.
- Service (A) – The owner came up to us and chatted us up, but that was probably because our friends have been there a couple of times. We requested some changes to the soup (adding cabbage) and they were smiling and willing to accommodate.
- Atmosphere (B) – Reminded me of a Japanese joint with blond wood walls and wood floors - very serene. We were there for lunch on a Tuesday and it was all full of businessmen/women. The place also reminded me of Grom gelato as they had pictures of all the ingredients they source on the walls as well.
- Price (N/A) - We didn't pay so it was hard to tell what the prices were. Probably relatively expensive for food in Taiwan.
Best food on the trip so far and 100% need to visit this joint the next time I'm in Taiwan. Highest recommendation from this dude.
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